DOJ Indictments

New Jersey Man Admits to Stealing More Than $1 Million in Investment Fraud Scheme involving Elderly Victims

A New Jersey man admitted to a scheme to defraud elderly and other victims out of more than $1 million that he told the victims he would invest on their behalf or otherwise use for their benefit. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Two Grey Hills Man Sentenced for Assault with a Firearm

James Smiley Jr. was sentenced to eight and a half year in prison for brandishing and discharging a firearm while threatening multiple individuals. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Tavoyn Billy Morrison, 26, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to distribution of cocaine base, also known as “crack.”According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 31, 2025, Morrison sold approximately 3 grams of crack to a confidential informant for $200 at a Huntington residence. As part of his guilty…
12 Previously Removed Aliens Charged with Illegal Re-entry into the U.S.

Federal grand juries returned indictments charging 12 individuals from Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico with violating immigration laws.These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations,…
Justice Department Sues Minnesota to Protect Girls’ Sports and Intimate Spaces

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division today filed suit to enforce the protections of Title IX and ensure fairness and safety for female student athletes in Minnesota. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Illegal Alien from Mexico Living in West Virginia Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Federal Fraud Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Rosmery Morales-Mejia, also known as “Rosita Mejia-Perez,” 27, a Mexican national living illegally in Nitro, pleaded guilty today to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and was sentenced to time served. Morales-Mejia will be subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for her transfer to ICE administrative…
Maryland Man Charged With Defrauding Crypto Exchange Of Over $50 Million In Hacks

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Kevin Murphy, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) San Diego, announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging JONATHAN SPALLETTA, a/k/a “Cthulhon,” a/k/a “Jspalletta,” with computer fraud and money laundering in connection with his hacks of the decentralized cryptocurrency exchange…
Six Pittsburgh-Area Defendants Charged with Hate Crime and Obstruction of Justice for Late-Night Antisemitic Attack on Jewish Male

A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has charged six residents of the greater Pittsburgh area with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, obstructing justice, and conspiring to obstruct justice in relation to a September 2024 attack on a Jewish male in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Source: U.S. Department…
Former High School Wrestling Coach Sentenced for Sending Obscene Material to Minor

BOSTON – A Burlington, Mass. man was sentenced on March 26, 2026 for sending obscene material to an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl on Kik messenger. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Gardner Woman Pleads Guilty to Social Security Fraud

BOSTON – A Gardner woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits for 10 years. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
South Carolina Businessman Who Operated Bowling Entertainment Business in Massachusetts Pleads Guilty to $1.2 Million COVID Relief Fraud

BOSTON – A South Carolina businessman has pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester to COVID relief fraud. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Beckley Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Federal Drug Crime

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Sharee Woodson, 45, of Beckley, was sentenced on March 27, 2026, to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of cocaine base, also known as “crack.”According to court documents and statements…
Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export American Made Ammunition Used in War Against Ukraine

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Italian national Manfred Gruber pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export control violations. Gruber illegally exported ammunition worth over $540,000 from the United States to Kyrgyzstan, via companies that the defendant and his co-conspirator controlled in Italy. After reaching Kyrgyzstan, most of this ammunition was subsequently reexported to Russia. …
Maryland Man Sentenced to More Than 13 Years for Drug Trafficking and Unlawful Possession of Firearm and Ammunition

Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland man is headed to federal prison for more than a decade for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing drugs, some of which contained fentanyl. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Bribing Commercial Driver's License Skills Tester

Ryan Basnaw, 29, of Meridian, pleaded guilty to federal program bribery, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
El Paso Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Investors as Third-Party NBA Preseason Game Promoter

Timothy France Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court to seven counts of wire fraud as part of a Ponzi scheme in which he represented to investors that he would use their funds to promote NBA preseason games Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Nevada Man Indicted for Attempted Child Sexual Exploitation and Receipt of Child Sexual Abuse Material

LAS VEGAS – A Nevada man made his initial appearance in court on Friday to face allegations of attempting to coerce children to produce sexually explicit content and receiving child sexual abuse material. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Zuni Man Charged with Kidnapping

Barton Rico Cooeyate has been charged with kidnapping after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he tricked into getting in his car by offering her a ride home. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Five Charged in $3.5M Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina has unsealed an indictment charging five individuals for their roles in a fraud and money laundering scheme that resulted in a cumulative loss of at least $3.5 million. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Akron Man to Spend More Than 10 Years in Prison for Trafficking Meth and Fentanyl While Out on Parole

A Summit County man has been sentenced to prison for trafficking controlled substances and for having a pistol in his possession while he was out on parole. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Oviedo Man Convicted of Attempting to Coerce and Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity

Orlando, Florida – A federal jury has found Rusbel Montoya Mandujano (32, Oviedo) guilty of attempting to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. Montoya Mandujano faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 25, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the…
Convicted Felon Sentenced in Possession of Stolen Handgun with Extended Magazine

Robert Geiger, 47, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced Friday to 33 months in prison for illegally possessing a loaded stolen handgun with an extended magazine, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Worcester Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Minors

BOSTON – A Worcester man has been sentenced for sexually exploiting three minor females. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Illegal Alien with Serious Criminal History Sentenced to over 19 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Traffic Fentanyl and Methamphetamine in Fresno County

Gilberto Arteaga, 43, of Michoacan, Mexico, illegally residing in Fresno, was sentenced today to 19 years and five months in prison for his role in a fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Kenton County Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearm Possession

COVINGTON, Ky. – A Crescent Springs, Ky., man, Quenton Abell, 22, was sentenced on Monday to 60 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to his plea agreement, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Abell’s residence in Kenton County on August 25, 2025,…
Naples Man Pleads Guilty to $1.2 Million Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme Targeting Elderly Hurricane Ian Victim

Fort Myers, Florida – Luis Emilio Hernandez (45, Naples) today pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud an elderly victim following Hurricane Ian. Hernandez faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years for…
Amherst Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Possessing Enormous Child Pornography Collection

BOSTON – An Amherst, Mass. man has been sentenced in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for possessing more than 100,000 files of sexual abuse material (CSAM). The defendant possessed disturbing images of violent acts including a female being shot in the head, a cat in a blender and a dog being beaten to death. Source:…
Charlestown, Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 66 Months for Hobbs Act Robbery

Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on March 27, 2026, Richard J. Vardenski, 57, of Charlestown, Massachusetts was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 66 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Vardenski previously…
Treasurer for Maryland Candidate’s Political Campaigns Indicted on Embezzlement Charges

Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland unsealed an indictment, charging a treasurer who works for several political candidates and organizations, in connection with an embezzlement scheme. James Appel, 58, of Annapolis, Maryland, is charged with wire fraud and money laundering. The indictment alleges that, in 2024, Appel stole approximately…
Foreign National Charged with Orchestrating Health Care Fraud Scheme Targeting Medicare Advantage Programs

SAN FRANCISCO – United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian announced criminal charges against an individual for perpetrating a large-scale fraud targeting federal health care funds distributed through the Medicare Advantage program Source: U.S. Department of Justice